Hacking Infinity

Iris Van Herpen collaboration

Paris, France - 2015

Hacking Infinity continues the longstanding
collaboration between Iris Van Herpen's haute couture
collections and Philip Beesley's immersive near-living
sculptures. Their combined work debuted as part of Van
Herpen's Fall-Winter 2015-16 collection on March 10th,
2015 at the Palais de Tokyo for Paris Fashion Week. Critics
widely acclaimed the "black garden of fractal like geometries".
Hovering, halo-like meshwork fabrics imply new auras that
extend the boundaries of human bodies. The elemental
components and assemblies extended Hacking Infinity's
poetic exploration of the concept terraforming; the
creation of synthetic terrains, even new planetary surfaces.

Hacking Infinity further explores the use of
light, resilient hybrid fabrics previously developed by
Beesley for Van Herpen's collections
Magnetic Motion (Spring-Summer 2015),
Wilderness Embodied (Fall-Winter 2013-14) and
Voltage (Summer 2013). In Hacking Infinity,
Beesley's studio developed novel methods of thermally forming
laser-cut acrylic sheets to make extremely lightweight,
foam-like meshworks. By combining these innovative forms
with other materials including polyurethane, silicones,
leather, and crystal, striking new bodily qualities such
as flexibility, dynamism and interaction were achieved.
Through the processes of three-dimensional fused deposition
printing, injection molding, vacuum forming and laser-cutting,
three-dimensional acrylic membranes transformed into malleable
geometries of chevrons and meshwork textiles. These new fabrics
form a bridge between haute-couture and ready-to-wear production,
opening new industrial possibilities for transformed clothing.